Kindergarten Mom

Being a mom, especially of young children, can be a lot like being in kindergarten.

For various reasons:

You find yourself talking in ridiculous pitches, you tend to be in desperate need of naps, you're snacking all the time, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, leaving the house in clothes only a five year old would pick out, and occasionally doing the pee-pee dance if you've been so busy and preoccupied that you actually forgot to pee.

But the similarity I love most is making friends wherever you go.

You know how young children around the kindergarten age can be dropped into random settings and make instant friends? You just let them loose and within minutes they're running around with some new friend, chasing imaginary villains, sharing snacks, laughing like they've known each other for decades, and having a ball. Then when it's time to go, their friendship takes a bow and they're off to the next thing. Just like that.

Well, as a mom with young children, you find yourself chatting up all sorts of people you might not normally engage in a conversation. It's like you have instant friend credibility. A sign around your neck that says, "you can talk to me, I'm a mom."

Now the woman down the street smiles when you walk by where before she shuffled past on her cell phone dodging eye contact. Now random strangers stop you on the sidewalk asking how old your little guy is and offer up stories about their kids or grandchildren or even their friends' kids.

You make best friends (for five minutes) in the grocery store line, whipping out photos, exchanging coupons, and sometimes sharing very personal experiences -- all within five minutes! But like a kindergartner, once you've swiped that credit card and it's time to go, good-bye new best friend. Nice knowing you. Off to the next thing... or friend.

But no matter how short these acquaintances are or how meaningful or trivial the exchange, these little moments of human interaction pour hope and optimism over our sometimes cynical adult hearts. Reminding us that it's okay to smile at strangers, make eye contact as you walk down the street, it's okay to be vulnerable and put yourself out there. These little moments leave us with kindergartner kool-aid smiles and a much needed eager anticipation to keep at this thing called life.